The story does acknowledge Birmingham's civil rights struggles of the past because it does help put into perspective how different Birmingham is today. From downtown's redevelopment, the growing foody scene and the vital part UAB plays in both the economy and the tapestry of the city, the story makes it clear that the reporter spent time getting to understand the Birmingham of 2014 more than the one of 1963.

"The thing that excites me the most about every article of that type and this particular one is it fuels the positive momentum we have right now," Hilson said. "They are discovering things we already know about our city and even discovering things that the people in Birmingham may not know about themselves."

Building a positive image internally and externally is a major factor in economic development, Hilson said.

"Articles like this are a significant step in the image enhancement progress we are continuing to make," he said. "Statistics can tell us one thing about us, but the feeling you get here tells you something that numbers can't."

Dilcy Hilley, vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the National Geographic Traveler journalist communicated today's Birmingham the way many visitors experience it.

"This piece is stunningly perceptive," she said. "It often surprises me how journalists 'get' the Birmingham vibe so quickly during their visits. That says to me that the city's charm is pervasive, really evident – that we're not just shooting selfies, if you know what I mean."

The wording, Hilley said, really communicated what many visitors experience.

"I loved some of the phrasing this writer used: how the city has 'retained charm;' how it's 'without the shiny facelessness' of other Southern cities; the way Birmingham has become 'part of the national conversation in unexpected ways,'" she said. "That's the kind of stuff we serve up in our marketing of the city, but to have an objective observer plate it up is the real deal."